This invention is concerned with dictation systems.
Known dictation systems come in a variety of forms.
According to one long-standing practice, the author of an item of dictation uses a desktop or portable recorder to record an analog audio signal on a portable recording medium, typically a magnetic tape cassette. The portable recording medium is then transported to the transcriptionist""s desk, where a desktop transcription device is employed to audibly reproduce the analog signal from the recording medium.
Also known are central dictation systems, which eliminate the need to transport the recording medium from the author""s working quarters to the transcriptionist""s location. In a typical central dictation system, a dictation terminal located in the author""s workspace is connected by a dial-up or hard-wired signal path to a main recorder. For many years, the common practice was to implement the recorder as either an endless loop tape recorder (of the type marketed by the assignee of this application under the trademark xe2x80x9cThought Tankxe2x80x9d) or as a cassette changer. More recently, digital recording on a hard disk has become the state of the art for central dictation recorders. In any case, the recorded voice signal which constitutes the dictated material is reproduced so as to be audible at the transcriptionist""s workstation for transcription into a text file.
Central dictation systems can be highly efficient and very convenient for the authors of the dictation, and are often used in dictation-intensive environments such as medical records departments in hospitals. However, for small work groups or for installations having relatively small volumes of dictation, it may not attractive to make the investment in dedicated equipment which is required for a central dictation system.
It would be desirable to provide a low-cost dictation system that provides flexibility and a high degree of convenience for the author.
It is an object of the invention to provide a dictation system having a highly convenient user interface.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a dictation system which does not require physical transportation of a recording medium.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a dictation system which requires a minimal investment in equipment.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of operating a dictation system, the system including a first personal computer, a hand microphone having a plurality of control switches and connected to the first personal computer for inputting voice information for storage in the first personal computer, a second personal computer, an electronic mail system for transmitting electronic mail messages between the first and second personal computers, and equipment associated with the second personal computer for audibly playing voice information stored in the second personal computer, the method including the steps of using the hand microphone to generate a voice information file in the first personal computer, actuating one of the control switches of the hand microphone and responding to actuation of the one of the control switches by transmitting the voice information file from the first personal computer to the second personal computer by means of the electronic mail system, and storing the transmitted voice information file in the second personal computer.
At the second personal computer, the voice information is audibly reproduced, and is transcribed by a transcriptionist to create a text file, preferably in the second personal computer itself. The resulting text file may be transmitted via the electronic mail system from the second personal computer to the first personal computer.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a dictation system including a first personal computer, a hand microphone connected to the first personal computer and including a plurality of control switches, and a second personal computer connected to the first personal computer by an electronic mail system, the first personal computer including a memory device for storing a voice information file representative of voice signals generated by the hand microphone, the first personal computer also including a mechanism for responding to actuation of one of the control switches of the hand microphone by transmitting the voice information file to the second personal computer via the electronic mail system, the second personal computer having associated therewith a device for audibly reproducing the voice information file transmitted to the second personal computer from the first personal computer.
A dictation system provided in accordance with the invention provides highly convenient, flexible and efficient dictation capabilities while making use of an installed base of information technology equipment. A preferred embodiment of the invention rivals conventional central dictation systems in terms of user-friendliness, while requiring only a small fraction of the incremental capital investment required for a central dictation system.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the subsequent more detailed description of preferred embodiments.